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Reading West

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<p>The Department regularly publishes official statistics for the New Enterprise Allowance
Scheme, including an overview of the latest trends seen in the data. The latest publication
can be accessed at:</p><p><strong><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/new-enterprise-allowance-april-2011-to-december-2017"
target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/new-enterprise-allowance-april-2011-to-december-2017</a></strong></p>

<p><strong> </strong></p><p>Between April 2011 and December 2017, New Enterprise Allowance
has supported over 113,000 people to start their own business.</p><p> </p><p>The Departmental
spend on New Enterprise Allowance (NEA), comprising contracted mentoring costs and
Allowance payments to participants who had started to trade from 2013/14 is set out
in the table below:</p><p><strong> </strong></p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>£m</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2013/14</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2014/15</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2015/16</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2016/17</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2017/18</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Total
NEA spend</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>58.8</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>44.2</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>20.2</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>29.1</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>22.1</strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>
</p><p><strong>Notes:</strong></p><p> </p><p>The reducing spend reflects:</p><p> </p><ol><li>Rising
employment rates</li><li>The introduction of the Link Up Start Up (LUSU) workshop
in April 2017 (to assess the viability of a claimant’s business) prior to starting
on NEA</li><li>A refund of costs in 2015/16 from suppliers from the Grant Funded phase
of the NEA which ended in December 2014.</li></ol>

<p>Refugees resettled under resettlement schemes are able to work and have access
to some DWP benefits upon arrival.</p><p>In the same way as other claimants, they
are included in the policy not to provide extra benefit entitlements for more than
two children unless those children were born before 6 April 2017 or an exception applies.</p>

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether his Department
will refund local authorities the cost of ensuring that all existing housing stock
is made safe as a result of the Grenfell Tower fire.

<p>The Government will consider the removal of financial restrictions where financial
barriers stand in the way of essential work being done. This would include circumstances
where local fire services advise essential fire safety works are required to make
a building safe. We are working with local authorities who approach us on a case by
case basis.</p>

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the oral contribution
of 1 July 2019, Official Report, Column 903, what additional funding has been made
available to East Ayrshire Council to mitigate the costs associated with the roll-out
of universal credit.

<p>New Burdens funding has been provided to councils to cover additional costs associated
with Universal Credit. In 2017/18 the Department paid £13m in New Burdens funding
and paid £14m in New Burdens for 2018/19. Last year we worked with a number of Local
Authorities to refresh these costs resulting in £18m in New Burdens being paid in
2019/20. 67 Local Authorities received a total of £4.7m in extra payments to recognise
alleged additional costs caused in the early stages of roll out.</p><p> </p><p>The
East Ayrshire Council has received £169k from the Department in New Burden funding.</p><p>
</p><p>We continue to work with number of Local Authorities to further understand
their service costs to inform future funding requirements.</p>

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to her oral contribution
on 1 July 1 2019, Official Report Vol 662, whether her investigation on the costs
associated with the rollout of universal credit will consider the economic effects
of that rollout on East Ayrshire Council.

<p>New Burdens funding has been provided to councils to cover additional costs associated
with Universal Credit. In 2017/18 the Department paid £13m in New Burdens funding
and paid £14m in New Burdens for 2018/19. Last year we worked with a number of Local
Authorities to refresh these costs resulting in £18m in New Burdens being paid in
2019/20. 67 Local Authorities received a total of £4.7m in extra payments to recognise
alleged additional costs caused in the early stages of roll out.</p><p> </p><p>The
East Ayrshire Council has received £169k from the Department in New Burden funding.</p><p>
</p><p>We continue to work with number of Local Authorities to further understand
their service costs to inform future funding requirements.</p>

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the
Government is taking to fulfil its UN Human Rights Council election pledge to stand
up for freedom of religion or belief.

<p>Her Majesty's Government remains firmly committed to the promotion and protection
of Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) in all countries.</p><p>We regularly discuss
issues related to FoRB with foreign governments. For example, we raise our concerns
when practices and laws discriminate against people on the basis of their religion
or belief. We also raise individual cases. We work to sustain consensus on the adoption
and implementation of the key UN Resolutions sponsored by the European Union and the
Organisation of Islamic Cooperation at the UN Human Rights Council. We support projects
through the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO) Magna Carta Fund for Human Rights
and Democracy. In October 2016, the FCO hosted a groundbreaking international conference
to highlight the relevance of FRoB to global efforts to counter violent extremism.</p>

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reasons enquiries from
hon. Members on universal credit will not be taken by telephone; when the new system
for answering such enquiries was introduced; and if she will make a statement.

<p>We confirmed last year that claimants do not need to give consent for MPs and their
caseworkers to raise concerns. Prior to the roll-out of Universal Credit Full Service
in their constituency, we write to each hon. Member. The letter explains the implicit
consent arrangements for MPs and also provides the telephone number and email address
of the District Manager in the constituency, so that MPs can contact District Managers
if there are urgent constituent cases that need attention. This is the best route
to raise issues on behalf of constituents and works well because MPs’ offices can
establish local relationships.</p><p /><p><br></p>

<p>The Department for Exiting the European Union is carrying out detailed work with
departments to prepare for leaving the EU and coordinating planning. Members of staff
across the Department for Work and Pensions provide advice and analysis on EU Exit
issues as required.</p><p> </p><p>Given the interactions between EU exit work and
the Department’s other priorities, it would not be possible to give a figure for the
information requested. We can confirm that no additional funding for 2018/19 was sought
or provided to the Department by HM Treasury for EU Exit preparations.</p>

<p>The Government supports the Marshall Scholarship Programme as a key element in
the special relationship between the US and the UK.</p><p>We have made additional
funding available to enable 40 scholars to study at UK universities from September
2017.</p>